Damaged
by MrsElephant
Summary: What happens when Beth is taken from her family by The Governor? Will she make it home? Eventual DarylxBeth. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Please read and review. It's been a while since I've written anything, any mistakes are mine. **

**I own nothing.**

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Beth took a deep drag on the cigarette and held it till her lungs burned. Exhaling slowly, she raised the rifle and quickly took out the three walkers ambling along the road behind the camp.

_Not walkers. Biters. _She really had to stop doing that. Thinking that way was dangerous. If it wasn't a totally ridiculous notion she would swear that he was a mind reader. He could sense when her mind wandered back to her old group. Her family.

As if on cue, he emerged from the tent behind her.

"Bethany. Time for bed." His tone was one that brooked no arguments.

A minute tremble shook her small frame, but she turned to face him anyway. She stamped her fear and nausea down and entered the tent with him. The Governor, her lover. How she hated him. She hated the way he looked at her, the way he was always touching her. But he owned her now, he could touch her anyway he wanted.

"You know I love you, right Bethany?" he whispered as he moved inside her.

"I love you, too." She whispered back.

* * *

Beth was woken a few hours later by her bladder. She dressed quickly and crept from the tent, sneaking past the dozing guard. She was always under observation, though the security had lessened over the past year. She only had one guard posted outside her tent these days. She was less of a flight risk; she had learned her lesson the hard way.

The first time she ran away, she was passed amongst the men. They had used her body till they were all done with her. Then they had marked her ribs, leaving a large scar so she would think twice before she ran again. She had accumulated more scars than she cared to think about over the year.

She made her way to the camp toilets and emptied her bladder. Walking back to the camp, she froze when she heard a sound behind her. But her instincts weren't telling her to run, or to fight. They were telling her to move towards the noise. Her instincts had kept her alive this long, she wasn't about to ignore them.

Moving as silently as she could she crept towards the edge of camp, ears straining to hear another noise that didn't belong.

Nothing. Nothing moving outside the boundary. Then she saw it, a felled walker. With a familiar looking arrow planted between the eyes.

She stopped breathing, sure this was another test. But then where would he have gotten one of _those_ arrows? She knew he was an expert tracker; it wasn't out of the question that he would eventually find them.

Her body felt like it was moving in slow motion. She clung to the hope like a drowning woman would cling to a life vest.

She figured that if he were here he would scout around the camp whilst keeping out of site, so she moved to do the same. She moved quickly, not wanting him to finish his run and vanish before she could catch up to him.

Even though she had lost her faith a long time ago, she sent up a little prayer that he was still there. That he would take her away from this hell. If he weren't here she could only hope for two outcomes. Either the Governor would kill her, or he would never find out. Both options were a long shot. He didn't give up his property easily and he seemed to know everything. He had eyes everywhere. The very woods seemed to whisper all its secrets to him.

Weariness suddenly flooded her body. She stumbled slightly and the noise sounded uncomfortably loud in the silent woods.

"Bethany. What are you doing out here?"

She froze.

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**A/N: There we go. What did you think? I have plenty of ideas on where I want to go with this, but the journey is up for debate. Let me know if there's anything you want to see.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Wow, I actually got some follows and favourites! Wasn't expecting that! And thanks to my first reviewer: recklesskellie! *mwah***

**All errors are my own. I have my husband proofreading so if you spot anything he missed let me know and I'll poke him with a stick.**

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"Well, Bethany, I'm waiting. And if I were you, I'd think very carefully. You know I don't like it when you lie to me."

His ice blue eye was fixed on her. She felt paralysed by his gaze, she couldn't have run. Even though she wanted to. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her posture slumped, she was beaten.

He stalked over to her. The gleam in his eye was truly frightening to behold, he would make sure she was suitably punished tonight. His hand gently cupped her cheek, stroking the delicate bones of her face, before he slid it round to the back of her head and grabbed her blonde hair in an iron grip. Jerking her head back he kissed her violently, before turning and pulling her back towards camp.

She didn't bother to struggle; it wouldn't do her any good. He had her and that was it. She stumbled over a tree root and fell to her knees, his hand never left her hair and he yanked her back up. She couldn't control the whimper of pain that escaped her, she had cut her knee and grazed her hands trying to avoid hitting her face on the uneven ground, and he seemed pleased by the pain she was feeling. He leaned in close to whisper, "That'll feel good by the time I'm through with you; you've never felt pain like you'll feel tonight. That's a promise my dear. You'll wish you'd stayed with me. We had a good thing going Bethany, you had to ruin it."

A single tear escaped and ran down her face. He laughed when he saw it, he loved her terror.

Upon entering the camp, Beth looked up and saw the guard outside her tent was no longer asleep. One eye was swollen closed and his lip was bleeding. She knew he wasn't done paying for his lapse in judgement. He would probably pay the ultimate price for trying to catch a few minutes rest. There was no resting allowed these days. Resting almost always led to a death, one way or another.

Upon reaching the tent, the Governor lifted the flap and thrust Beth inside. She fell to her knees, crying out as she landed hard on her split knee. She struggled to her feet and the blood ran down her leg. Spinning around to face the Governor, she was surprised when he didn't follow her inside.

"I have to deal with this little problem, I'll be back for you later sweetling." His one good eye wandered down her body before he left.

"Such a tragic waste of such luscious young flesh. Who knows, maybe I'll have you again before I have to dispose of you." He winked at her before he left, zipping the tent closed behind him.

She listened in mute horror as she heard the guard being dragged away, yelling that he was innocent and that it was Beth's fault. His screams reached horrifying heights as the Governor began his slow torture.

When she knew she was alone, she sank down and cried.

* * *

Daryl was tired. He was fed up of having to scout further and further out for supplies. The group at the prison had grown much larger than they could comfortably sustain and they had exhausted all of the nearby options. A few months ago Hershel had organised a trip into town to scout an old farm supplies store; they had come out with some seeds and equipment to start growing some vegetables to help feed everyone, but it would be a while before they were self-sufficient.

His scouting trips were taking days rather than hours now, and he had upgraded his motorcycle for an old Ford Pickup so he could load as much as possible inside. You never knew what would come in useful and he didn't like passing anything up. He had become quite the hoarder.

He was on his way back from a successful trip to a pharmacy two towns away when he heard yelling from the forest and immediately cut the engine. He slid the key from the ignition and secured the chain around his neck; he couldn't risk losing it.

Grabbing his crossbow from the passenger seat he opened the door and stepped outside. The first thing he noticed was the lack of walkers in the area.

_Must be a permanent camp nearby. Can't hurt to look._

Slinging his crossbow over his shoulder he quietly stalked off in the direction of the screams, keeping watch for walkers. Or worse.

It didn't take very long to come across the first signs of life, and when he saw fresh blood he knew he had to investigate further. Slipping into a crouch he tracked the wounded person until he came to a clearing full of tents. The lack of people would have been suspicious, but there was a wooden structure across the way and there were jeering sounds coming from inside. It sounded like someone was having a boxing match.

Maintaining his crouch he skirted around the outside of the clearing, intending to get a better look at the wooden building, when he froze. He heard sobbing coming from the tent beside him. It wasn't the sobbing of pain, but rather the broken sobbing that comes from utter terror. He couldn't walk away. Whoever it was sounded desperate.

He crept around until he was in front of the entrance, making sure there was no one around he quickly unzipped the tent and slipped inside.

He instinctively raised his left arm as a blade came out of nowhere straight towards his face.

"D- Daryl?" He knew that voice. It couldn't be.

"Beth?!"

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**Read & Review. The more feedback I get the faster I type :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here you go, a little update. Thank you to all my lovely reviewers! You have no idea how happy and bouncy I get when I see those emails in my inbox =]**

**As always, proofread by my husband, any mistakes are his ;]**

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Luckily the cut wasn't deep. Though even if it had been, he wasn't certain he would have even noticed it. He was too shocked by the girl standing in front of him. He had been certain she was dead.

"I looked for you." Was all he had to say before she snapped into action.

"We need to get out of here. I don't know when he'll be back, but he'll be furious when he sees I'm gone. He'll hunt me. We need to put as many miles between us as we can." She moved towards the opening of the tent when he reached out to stop her. She thought he was saying no and prepared herself for rejection.

"You're not taking me with you?" there was a hint of desperation in her voice.

"What?" he was confused for a second, "of course I am. But we shouldn't go out the front. Too risky. Give me the knife."

Moving swiftly, he used the knife to slit the tent in one smooth motion and slid out the gap without hesitation. She followed quietly and followed him as he made his way into the tree line.

They quietly made their way towards the road. He was surprised she had the sense to keep quiet. Many girls would have started asking endless questions about how he'd found her or about how her family were doing. Doing that whilst trying to make a stealthy and swift getaway would have been suicide. He was slightly impressed that she had some survival instincts. He had never thought of Beth as a survivor. He figured she had only lasted on the farm because of her overprotective father.

They made it back to the truck without passing anyone, living or dead.

"What's with the lack of walkers round here? It's creepy." He was aware of the irony of his statement, but he had become accustomed to the world they now lived in. He had thrived in the apocalypse where other people had died.

Beth let out a hollow laugh.

"He collects them. He uses them for entertainment."

"Sick fuck." Was all he said. He started the engine and before Beth knew it she was being taken away. Taken home. She hardly dared believe it.

She jumped a little when Daryl threw a blanket at her.

"Sleep. We got a long drive ahead of us."

* * *

Daryl had told Beth to sleep simply to avoid the awkwardness of the situation he now found himself in. He had never been close to Beth. Back at the prison she mainly looked after baby Judith and cooked meals. He had never had much call to spend time with her.

After she went missing he had scoured the woods for her, cursing himself for not taking the time to make sure she was properly trained or armed. If he had she may have been able to delay whatever had happened long enough for someone to realise she was in trouble. As it was, they hadn't realised she was gone until it was far too late. The trail was already cold by the time he started looking and he hated the fact that he had failed to bring another person back.

It had been hard facing Carol after losing Sofia, telling Hershel and Maggie that Beth was lost was possibly even harder. Sofia had been tough, she had dealt with her abusive father and had grown up a little with the threat of the walkers. Beth was a different kind of girl. She had been sheltered and protected by her father. The thought of her out there without anyone looking out for her had been horrendous.

Neither Maggie nor Hershel had been the same since, and not knowing if Beth had been taken or bitten had made everything tougher. As the months passed they became less hopeful. Less determined to find her. After three months they had agreed to hold a memorial service, and Hershel had buried his beloved Bible in place of his daughter. He had effectively buried his faith. Losing his baby had almost destroyed him, and Daryl had found it hard to watch the changes.

He saw his regular break point coming up and swung the truck onto the driveway of the old house. It was a modest structure. A single story, brick built house that was pretty solid. It had a front and back door, with all the windows boarded shut. He had secured it himself when he realised he couldn't drive all day and all night without a break. There may not be any traffic to crash into anymore, but wrecking his ride this far away from home would be too dangerous, even for him.

Cutting the engine, he reached out to shake Beth. As soon as he touched her she jolted awake with a look of pure terror in her eyes. As soon as she saw it was Daryl, the fear was replaced with a glazed look. She glanced around and saw they weren't at the prison. If she was confused about their location, she didn't say a word. She silently followed him from the truck into the house.

He moved from room to room checking everything was still secure. Once he was satisfied he made his way back to the front room, and was surprised to find Beth hadn't moved since entering the house.

"I'll take first watch. I'll wake you in around four hours. There's a bed out back."

She didn't respond, just followed his instruction and went through to the other room. He gave her half an hour before he went through to check on her.

She was sleeping in the bed, curled in a foetal position. She looked so vulnerable. He was seriously worried about her. He didn't know what had happened over her year away but he could guess that it was nothing good going by her behaviour so far. She was broken. He could tell.

How was he supposed to take her back to her family like this?

**A/N: Thoughts?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the delay on this one, work has been pretty hectic. 10 hour shifts are pretty draining, by the time I get home I just want food and bed! I'm going to try and get the next chapter out tomorrow :)**

**As always, I don't own the characters. Any mistakes are my husbands ;)**

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Beth awoke slowly, trying to assess her surroundings without alerting whoever was in the room that she was awake. She felt well rested, which was odd to her. She hadn't been well rested since _he_ had taken her. He usually let her sleep around three hours per night before getting her on guard duty the rest of the night. She had thought that she would become used to sleep deprivation, but it wasn't something she could get used to. She learnt to hide her exhaustion from him, but that didn't mean she didn't feel it.

The fact that she was well rested confused her, until she remembered what had happened. How she had been rescued. The relief washed over her and overwhelmed her. She had been living on a knife edge for _so long_ and now she was free. Her emotions hit her all at once. For the entire year she had been with the Governor there had been consequences to showing emotions. She would be beaten, starved or worse if she showed fear, anger or sadness. Now that she was able to freely show how she was feeling she was overwhelmed. She didn't know how to process the sheer amount of things going through her at once, so she did the only thing she could. She curled into a ball and cried.

He had been watching over her while she was asleep. He had come into the room after four hours on watch and been confused when she wouldn't wake. He had called her name several times but she didn't budge. She only moved when he reached out to touch her shoulder, intending on shaking her awake, but as soon as his hand touched her skin she curled in on herself and whimpered. He snatched his hand back as though he had burned himself, surprised by her subconscious reaction.

His eyes flicked to her back. Her vest top had ridden up slightly when she moved and he was horrified by what he saw. A large letter had been carved into her skin. A capital G. Daryl suddenly felt far too close to the girl in the bed. He spun around and left the room, he would let her sleep as long as she wanted.

But now he was worried about her. She had been sleeping for 24 hours now. He had never known anyone to sleep this long, not even if they were sleeping off a bad hangover. He had been checking in on her every couple of hours, in between picking off any stray walkers that wandered too close to the house. He had been contemplating driving back to the prison and getting Rick to come take a look at her when she finally showed signs of waking.

She shifted in the bed slightly and her breathing quickened. Her brow furrowed slightly, as though she was trying to work out what was wrong. Her breath hitched slightly and she curled into a ball, then started sobbing.

Shit. He couldn't just leave her to cry.

"Beth. S'ok. You're safe."

No reaction.

He edged closer to the bed and tried again.

"Beth? You hear me? I said you're safe now. He can't get at you here."

He was surprised to find his arms full of teenage girl. His automatic reaction to this kind of situation would be to pull away, verbally assault and then stalk off somewhere to get blind drunk. But his instincts wouldn't allow it. His arms came around her slowly and he sank them both down on the bed. She was sobbing into his shirt, her hands gripping the fabric tightly.

They stayed like that for hours, till Beth sobbed herself back to sleep.

* * *

She was finally asleep. Her body had relaxed against him and her grip had loosened on his shirt. As gently as he could, he untangled himself from her and slid out of the bed. He needed a smoke. Badly.

He had no experience of comforting a teenage girl. Hell, he had no experience comforting anyone. Though judging by the fact she had relaxed and gone back to sleep he thought he had done a pretty good job. Though he couldn't help but wish there had been someone else on the supply run with him to help him out with this one. Feelings and emotions weren't exactly his strong point.

Killing walkers and hunting on the other hand, he was pretty good at. He'd rather face down a herd of hungry walkers than another emotional teenager right now. He was just extremely grateful she hadn't tried to talk to him about what she was going through. He felt bad for the kid, but there was no way he'd be helpful. He'd probably end up making her far worse and he didn't want to have to answer to her father when he found out that he'd messed around giving her shitty advice when he should have been returning her to the people who could actually help her.

He was just a screw up. He needed to get her back to her family.

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**A/N: Sorry the chapters are so short. The way I write is to imagine the scenes in my head and then type them out as they happen, which means each chapter comes to a natural stop! I've tried bulking them out a bit but that feels unnatural. What do you think? Reviews make me type faster!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I know! I'm a terrible terrible person. I got distracted. I started playing State of Decay and then we got pet Rats and before I knew it my husband was telling me off for not writing anything! Anyway. Won't happen again. On with the show!**

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Daryl sat on the step in the dark, smoking. He was trying to distance himself from the emotions the teenager in the house had awakened. He had worked at building relationships with people when Merle had been missing, and he had actually gotten closer to people than he had ever thought possible. Some people had even seemed to like him. But once Merle had returned he had found it harder to be around the others. He felt like he had to choose between them. Once Merle had actually died he had tried to distance himself a bit more.

He hadn't coped well with the death of his brother, and going out hunting had been much easier than talking about it. After his initial despair at the loss he felt he had shut down his grief. Grief wouldn't help him survive. If anything it would only cause mistakes. Mistakes could be deadly.

"Got another one of those?"

She was standing right behind him. He had thought she would sleep for a while longer after all the crying she had done. Wordlessly he handed her the pack.

She took it from him, pulled one from the pack and handed it back. He offered her his cigarette to light hers up and she gratefully took a deep drag, sitting down on the step beside him.

"How long you been smokin'?" He couldn't remember seeing her with a cigarette before but doubted she'd been smoking in the prison. Hershel would pitch a fit.

"Just this past year. It helps."

He didn't ask what it helped with. He understood.

Sitting beside her, silently smoking was quite nice. He didn't feel under pressure to fill the silence. He glanced over at her as she took another drag on the cigarette, the brief light throwing the scars on her wrist into view.

He remembered her suicide attempt back on the farm, but there were more scars there than there should have been. He was wondering if she'd tried again when she broke into his thoughts.

"I can't go back. I'm not ready."

* * *

She had agonised over her decision since she first got in the truck with Daryl. Instead of feeling relief at going home, all she had felt was overwhelming panic and a desire to run. She had initially thought that she'd just been away too long and that it would fade the closer she got, but it hadn't. She couldn't go back. She needed time to heal mentally before facing a prison full of people. Before facing her family.

Especially her family. She was a different person to the one they had known. She had been sheltered and protected before, but now she had experienced too much to be considered an innocent.

She hadn't given Daryl a chance to process what she'd said before she got up and went back into the house.

"Whoa, you can't just drop that on me and walk away. You got a plan?" he'd followed her back inside the house.

She sank down onto the old sofa and drew her knees up to her body.

"Not really. I just know I can't go back. I could maybe find a house to hole up in?" She thought about asking if she could stay where she was. The house was pretty secure and seemed well stocked, but she didn't want to intrude. She didn't really know him that well, but she did know that he liked his solitude.

"Wait here. I need to think." He muttered as he turned and went into the kitchen.

* * *

Daryl sat at the small kitchen table, thinking hard.

If she wasn't ready to go back then he wouldn't take her back. That part was simple. The problem was working out what to do with her. He didn't have any experience with teenagers, let alone ones as damaged and hurt as Beth obviously was.

There was only one thing he could logically do, but he knew she wouldn't be happy about it.

'_Then again, she ain't really happy to begin with_' he thought with a sigh.

"Screw it."

He got up sharply and crossed the room to his junk drawer and yanked it open. There, nestled amongst the other crap that usually accumulated in a junk drawer, was a walkie-talkie. He grabbed it and headed out to the yard, making his way to the edge of the garden so he wouldn't be overheard. He couldn't risk her hearing and bolting.

He switched the little machine on and held down the call button, hoping the partner device was switched on.

"Rick, you there buddy? We got a situation. How soon can you be at my place?"

Silence.

He waited a full minute.

Then, surrounded by static, came a reply.

"I'm on my way."

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**A/N: As always, read and review. :)**

**My husband keeps pointing out bits that don't make sense, which I then furiously explain. If there are any parts that don't make sense let me know and I'll fix them. But I won't tell my husband, I wouldn't want him to think he was right! ;)  
**


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